By: Teru Ikeda and Kajan Thiruthanikasalam

SCARBOROUGH, ONT. - After the Colts fell 3-0 against Sheridan in last year’s crossover rematch, Julian Carr, Colts Head Coach, envied the opposing team’s gritty soccer culture. He expressed a desire to recruit finishers and tenacious defenders. This past Thursday, May 16, Carr added a finisher and two central defenders to his 2019-2020 roster, all of them signing their commitment to become Centennial Colts Varsity Athletes.

Carr remains excited but “cautiously optimistic” for the season ahead. He found a finisher and veteran striker in Jordale Byers. With the near-irreplaceable former captain Ostap Hamarnyk and Kevin Segamanasinghe gone, Carr filled their cleats with two central defenders, Vincent Servenis and Joshua Cooper. Both played for Carr at the youth level and currently train with a League1 team, as well as play for the U-21 Provincial Elite team.

“We can build a system with what we’ve got coming in,” said Carr as he referred to his two newest defenders as “the future.” 

JORDALE BYERS

Hometown: Toronto, Ont.

Position: Striker

Previous Post-Secondary: Concordia University

Program: Business Marketing

Jordale Byers is the finisher who Coach Carr was desperately looking for.

“(Jordale’s) very good at holding up the ball, he’s a big body, smart and he’s got some technical ability,” said Carr. “Players and wings coming off the midfield can play off of him, so then it means we have a three or four-pronged attack everytime we go, even on a counter.”

The highly-touted recruit returns to school as a mature student majoring in business marketing and brings a wealth of experience playing in CSL and League1.

”I feel like I would bring my leadership and the veterancy that I have from playing at such high levels within Canada,” said Byers, who spoke about his maturation process from playing his first year at Concordia, to being injured which sidelined him from playing pro in Portugal, to accruing years of semi-pro experience.

“The difference now is I’m a lot more mature, more confident. I’ve worked on my game and myself a lot as an individual, so that’s my biggest difference from then compared to now.”

Byers is eager to start his program and couldn’t contain his excitement on signing day. Coach Carr and the rest of the coaching staff welcomed Byers with open arms. “I’m a horse, so I’ll work for you guys,” asserted Byers as he embraced his new Colts family. “And no matter what, I’ll grind.”

“It’s time to start a new journey of my life, so I thought Centennial could help me with that.”

VINCENT SERVENIS

Hometown: Markham, Ont.

Position: Centre-back

High School: St. Brother Andre Catholic High School

Rep Team: Markham U21

Program: Automotive Service Technician

With two veteran defenders, Hamarnyk and Segamanasinghe gone, filling either one of their shoes will be a daunting task,  and that is what Vincent Servenis is facing as he prepares to head into his first year at Centennial.

“It’s definitely going to be a big jump,” Servenis admitted as he prepares to adjust to the collegiate level. “The difference of level in high school and college soccer is very different so I’m looking to get used to it as quickly as I can.”

Servenis’ expectation, for the team, is to get as far as they can. Individually, he says his expectations are to grow tactically and to be more skillful with and without the ball. The rookie defender also identified his strengths and weaknesses.

“I’m talkative on the field, strong, able to see and read the play well,” Servenis said. “I’m not the fastest guy and I don’t have the most stamina but that will come with putting the work in to increase (my fitness).”

Servenis has had ties with head coach Julian Carr in the past as he is currently the coach of the Markham U21 team that the defender is on currently. Carr coached on the previous team that Servenis was on as well.

“It definitely helps because I know what type of coach he is; the system he runs here versus at Markham isn’t very different so I’m kind of used to how he wants us to play and how he coaches,” Servinis said.

However, the other part of his life as a student-athlete, especially the program that he is taking, is just as noteworthy as he is taking the automotive service technician program.

And he’s already had a huge milestone in that field just this past February, according to Carr, winning the the Toronto Automotive Technology Competition (hosted by Centennial) and representing Ontario at the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York.

“Vince does very well academically in the motor skills area, with automotive power,” Carr said. “He’s very much entrenched in the idea of being here and very much wants to be here.”

“I heard about their really good automotive program and that’s the career I really want to pursue,” Servenis said. “I looked into it further and realized that this was the best school for me so I was excited when I got accepted.”

The Markham, Ont., native was in admiration of the atmosphere when he came in to sign his letter of intent and credited the Centennial Colts athletic department for being so welcoming.

When all of this is said and done, Servenis says he wants to be remembered as one of the key players on a successful team and culture and also as someone who is excited for the future that he now holds in his hands.

JOSHUA COOPER

Hometown: Stouffville, Ont.

Position: Leftback/Centreback

High School: Bill Crothers Secondary School

Rep Team: Markham U21

Program: Aircraft Mechanic

Like Servenis, Cooper has some big shoes to fill at the back line for the Centennial Colts men’s soccer team and has also been coached previously by Colts head coach Julian Carr at the youth level. Cooper says he’s only played with his fellow rookie defender for a couple of months but that experience will be vital when training camp comes along.

“Our communication is good,” Cooper says of the partnership he has with Servenis. “We know when to cover for each other and when to attack. We play well together.”

Cooper says that his communication and physicality are his greatest strengths while his biggest area to improve upon is his touch with the left foot. He also noted that when he saw the team play, they were more defence-focused.

“Their left backs and right backs didn’t really join the attack so much,” Cooper said. “What I feel like I can add is depth to the attack to make our offence a little more deadly.”

His commute will be challenging, to say the least, as he lives in Stouffville and will need to travel to the Progress Campus for practices and games… all while going to school at Centennial’s Downsview Campus.

“I’ll drive to Aurora and take the GO train straight down to campus,” Cooper says, laughing, when asked about how he’ll travel down to the different campuses. “I do have driving experience so it won’t be as bad but it’s going to be quite a commute.”

Cooper is taking the aircraft mechanic program in what is its inaugural year at Centennial’s brand new campus at Downsview.

“I’ve always been interested in mechanics and I know that there’s a lot of automotive mechanics. With aircraft mechanics, it’s a high demanding job,” Cooper said of his decision to take the program. “Once I get out, I can find a job relatively easily doing something to enjoy.”

When he walked into the Athletic and Wellness Centre, Cooper said that the Colts athletic department welcomed him with open arms and that it felt “comforting.”

“What I want to accomplish is to be a huge presence on the field, loved by my teammates and hated by my opponent,” Cooper says on how he wants to be remembered. “Off  the field, I want to be known as a good guy and that when any problem happens, I’ll be there.”

The link to the photo album from the signing, taken by Colts Media photographer John Theurer, is as follows: https://flic.kr/s/aHskUC7La1

Congratulations to the three student-athletes on signing their letters of intent for the Centennial Colts men’s soccer team. We cannot wait to see what you have in store for us next season!